Article by
Barbados Today

Published on
March 1, 2016

Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant urged a farmer today to forget about the “love of his life”, particularly since the woman was obviously not interested in him.

It was this case of one-sided love that landed Ricardo Rudolph Thorpe before the District ‘A’ Magistrates Court on a harassment charge, to which he pleaded guilty.

Outlining the facts, prosecutor Sergeant Janice Ifill told the court that last year, Thorpe, 37, returned to his former neighbourhood of Pile Bay, Spring Garden, St Michael and that since then, Kieva Cadogan had been the object of his affection and attention.

For the past six months, Thorpe had either stood on her premises or by the road opposite her house in the early hours of the morning, declaring his love for her. Complaints to the police and to his family members have been futile.

However, when Cadogan returned home from a party on December 13 around 3 a.m., she was accosted by Thorpe who again told her he loved her.

The woman complained to her father who confronted Thorpe, and the two quarrelled. Fearful for her safety and her father’s, Cadogan again made a report to the police.

In pleading guilty to the offence, Thorpe explained that even though “I tell she that I love she, I didn’t mean it that kinda way so”. He pointed out that the two of them had grown up together.

“If you had a daughter, would you like to know that a man was harassing her?” asked the magistrate.

Thorpe replied “no”.

“If she is not interested, she is not interested. You have to understand that when a woman says no, she means no,” Cuffy-Sargeant continued.

“Is true, Sis,” Thorpe replied.

Thorpe was given one month in which to pay a fine of $1,000 or face three months in prison. He has to return to court on March 29 to show proof of payment.

“Mr Thorpe, stay away from Miss Cadogan and please have nothing to say to her when you see her,” the magistrate warned him before he left the courtroom.